Deforestation_final

So many rainforests exist around the world, it is estimated that they cover 7 % of the Earth. And the one which located in Brazil is called the Amazon Rainforest.

We should consider taking some precautions to prevent deforestation, which is caused by human activities such as cattle ranching and clearing the forest to raise crops to feed animals.

 Task1: Fill the gaps using the key words from the text:

 Task2: Look in the text in the followig section and find this information as quickly as possible:

1. How much of the Amazon rainforest was lost last year?
2. What is CIFOR?
3. What percentage of Brazil's exported beef do the EU countries buy?
4. What percentage does the US buy?
5. How many cattle were there in the Amazon region in 2002?
6. How much will the Brazilian government spend to save the rainforest?

Demand for beef speeds destruction of Amazon forest

An international report says that last year was a very bad year for the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Satellite photographs show that almost 26,000 sq km of the world’s largest forest was lost, 40% more than the year before. The Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) says that this year’s loss could be even greater.

The main reason for the loss of forest, or deforestation, is that farmers are cutting down trees so that they can produce grasslands for their cows. Brazil exports a lot of beef to Europe and Brazilian beef is very popular in Europe because there is no mad cow disease in Brazil. The CIFOR report says that EU countries now buy almost 40% of Brazil’s 578,000 tonnes of exported beef. Egypt, Russia and Saudi Arabia import 35%. The US takes only 8%.

"Beef exports are the main reason for the damage to the forest, as cattle ranchers are destroying the rainforests," said David Kaimowitz, the director general of CIFOR. He said that logging is not a direct cause of deforestation. The number of cattle in the Amazon region increased by more than 100% to 57 million between 1990 and 2002, the report says. "[In that time] the percentage of Europe’s meat imports coming from Brazil increased from 40% to 74%’’

The Americans say that soya farming for the European market causes deforestation. The CIFOR report does not agree with this "Soyabean farming in the Amazon region is increasing but it only causes a small percentage of total deforestation," it says.

The report says that enormous ranching operations are now controlling the beef export market. "In the 1970s and 1980s small ranchers produced most of the beef in the Amazon region. They sold it to local slaughterhouses. Now large commercial ranchers are producing the beef and selling it to European supermarkets.’’

Last month the Brazilian government said it was going to spend $133 million to help to save the rainforest. This is a very positive step. Without urgent action to save the rainforest, a huge area of forest will disappear during the next 18 months. CIFOR says that the Brazilian government must stop ranchers using government land, stop building roads in the forest, and give money to people to keep land as forest.

 Task3: Comprehension Check

             Decide whether these sentences are true or false:

1. Logging is the main cause of deforestation.
2. 2. Brazilian beef is not popular in Europe.
3. The US buys more Brazilian beef than the EU does.
4. Soyabean farming causes only a small percentage of deforestation.
5. In the 1970s and 1980s enormous ranching operations produced most of the beef in the Amazon region.

Task4: Vocabulary: Animals and meat

           Match the animals with the meat:

1. cattle (cows)             a: lamb   
2. sheep                        b: chicken
3. pigs                           c: beef
4. hens                          d: pork                         

Task5: Vocabulary                  Prepositions

            Fill the gaps with a preposition. Check your answers in the text.

Task6: Grammar focus  Present Continuous

           Look at this sentence from the text:

           Soyabean farming in the Amazon region is increasing.

           This means that this activity is happening now and is continuing. We use              the present continuous to talk about these processes.

           Make more sentences using the present continuous from these                             prompts. You can check your answers in the text.

    1. farmers               cut down       trees.   

    2. cattle ranchers           destroy             rainforests.

    3. enormous ranching operations            control              beef export market.

    4. commercial ranchers          produce     beef and................

    5. ...... They     sell            European supermarkets.

    6. the rainforest            disappear.

-Why do we need rainforests?

-What should we do to save them?

When you finish reading the text, answering the follow up questions, your duty is to find solutions to this problem.Watch this video and take notes of what actions people can take to save our forests.

 Now watch this video clip on deforestation: facts. causes & effects and make a note of the important information.

Watch the video in the green button below and answer the questions.

-Why do we need rainforests?

-What should we do to save them?

When you finish reading the text, answering the follow up questions and watching the videos, your duty is to find solutions to this problem.

 Interview at least 20 people in you neighbournood and take notes of their ideas to stop deforestation. By compiling the information, prepare a powerpoint presentation in which you express the solutions to this problem. You should include at least five efficient solutions to abolish the problem.

 Evaluation

      This is how your work will be evaluated. The rubric is here.

After completing the activities before and after the text, students will understand what deforestation is, where the Amazon located and what they can do to stop deforestation

Students answered only some of the questions.

Students matched the questions but couldn’t complete the comprehensive questions.

Students answered all the questions fully.

Students answered the questions fully and added their own ideas.

After internalizing the information, given in the webquest students will prepare a presentation about the solutions to this problem

Students couldn’t understand the topic and didn’t prepare PPTs.

Students understood the key elements in the topic but they could’t prepare PPTs.

Students easily understood the topic and prepared PPTs.

Students clearly expressed their solutions and discussed why we should stop deforestation.